Today we mourn the death of commonsense and the birth of populist ignorance, as exemplified by Nigel Farage's disrespectful display on Wednesday when he brought the UK into disrepute on a grand scale. While I accept the democratic outcome, I can in no way accept the devious process that got us here and ended up with a Disunited Kingdom.
A common theme against the EU is one of corruption, yet people voted for Ukip, which had the worst attendance record of any European political party and did precisely nothing, except grandstand about issues they couldn't even be bothered to turn up to debate. Any corruption that exists within the EU is not on the part of the institution itself, but comprises false claims for funds from some member countries - it's akin to accusing the UK government of corruption because a local authority is corrupt. The EU is engaged in a huge anti-corruption drive, not that this bothers Brexiteers, as they're intent on justifying a preconception.
Another persistent trope still repeated by Brexiteers is 'unelected bureaucrats', when the agenda, strategy and priorities of the EU is determined by the Council of Europe, the elected heads of the member governments. The Commission is a civil service, and I have yet to hear of civil service elections in any country.
Unwillingness to reform is a common cry, but ask anyone what reform they desire and they go quiet. Those that have actually read something on the EU to justify their irrational hatred may shout about the Common Fisheries Policy, which has thus far been responsible for rejuvenating stocks, while ignoring the fact the UK sold its quotas to the highest bidder, which may subsequently have changed hands and become foreign owned, unlike most countries that tied them to ports and not vessels.
"CAP!" someone may shout, but ask them how the UK can become self-sufficient in food and they can't avoid having to introduce the subject of subsidies to encourage our farmers to grow what might not be profitable. Ask them how we would maintain biodiversity and they would be forced to admit that farmers might have to be paid for this 'inefficient form of farming'.
Another will shout European Army. Much is made of the fact that, as the Nth largest economy in the world, the UK has the whip hand in trade negotiations with the EU. This admission that economic size matters somehow ignores the fact that the EU, even without the UK, has an economy 5.8 times larger than the UK. If size matters, then huge size matters more. This translates well to the European Army (leaving aside, for one minute that the UK had a veto). Just as economic size provides an advantage in trade negotiations, a larger army than your opponent - or numerical superiority, as we experts call it - has been seen as a distinct advantage since men started beating seven shades of shit out of each other, and our potential enemies have very large armies.
Unwillingness to reform is a common cry, but ask anyone what reform they desire and they go quiet. Those that have actually read something on the EU to justify their irrational hatred may shout about the Common Fisheries Policy, which has thus far been responsible for rejuvenating stocks, while ignoring the fact the UK sold its quotas to the highest bidder, which may subsequently have changed hands and become foreign owned, unlike most countries that tied them to ports and not vessels.
"CAP!" someone may shout, but ask them how the UK can become self-sufficient in food and they can't avoid having to introduce the subject of subsidies to encourage our farmers to grow what might not be profitable. Ask them how we would maintain biodiversity and they would be forced to admit that farmers might have to be paid for this 'inefficient form of farming'.
Another will shout European Army. Much is made of the fact that, as the Nth largest economy in the world, the UK has the whip hand in trade negotiations with the EU. This admission that economic size matters somehow ignores the fact that the EU, even without the UK, has an economy 5.8 times larger than the UK. If size matters, then huge size matters more. This translates well to the European Army (leaving aside, for one minute that the UK had a veto). Just as economic size provides an advantage in trade negotiations, a larger army than your opponent - or numerical superiority, as we experts call it - has been seen as a distinct advantage since men started beating seven shades of shit out of each other, and our potential enemies have very large armies.
Everything Boris promised is slowly falling around his feet - no border in the Irish Sea, frictionless trade with the EU, the UK having the upper hand. People have once more been lied to by an arch liar, yet they cheer him to the rafters whenever one of his lies is proven to be such. It's tribal politics - the type that ignores truth and facts. It has infected America and has now infected the UK.
Having no border in the Irish Sea, frictionless trade with the EU, having a deal done by the end of 2020 and not having to renegotiate 759 existing treaties can only be achieved by regulatory alignment - and Boris knows this. My prediction is that this is exactly what will happen, but if it does, then he can legitimately claim that it was at least OUR decision. Once more, the Brexiteers will have been royally stuffed but, yet again, Boris will be cheered to the rafters. However, he can say we have saved our budget contribution - but in exchange for being a rule taker.
It is said that democracy's greatest weakness is an ignorant electorate, which the demagogue takes advantage of, producing the tyranny of the uninformed. This is the reason there is an occasional and paradoxical need to be undemocratic in the aim of preserving democracy.
Democracy's strong point is freedom, but this freedom is in many ways illusory. Communist regimes make people sacrifice freedom in exchange for certain benefits, such as work for all. In a democracy we have freedom but, because governments are focused only on short terms, they are subject to 'the market', which has no respect for people or freedom. Democratic governments make all manner of promises of greater freedoms when electioneering, but once in power they have to come up against the reality of the power of 'the market' which precludes them delivering on many of the promises when the market takes a downturn or someone manipulates it with vast amounts of money. China has no such restrictions - the government can control the market - certainly the internal one - and bend it to its political will.
The Daily Mail, a paper with among the highest circulations in the UK, conducted a poll among its readers on making it illegal to fly the EU flag in the UK - 85% of those polled supported this motion. Is this what the UK has now descended to? The barbarians are no longer at the gates - they've taken over the asylum.
The Romans had a symbol of judicial power - the fasces (above) - a bundle of sticks tied together. The symbolism conveyed was that, whereas one stick can be easily broken, a bunch of sticks tied together are much harder to break. The UK didn't surrender its powers to Brussels - it carried them to Brussels and used them there for half a century for the good of all Europe. Now this era of contribution has come needlessly to an end.
The Romans had a symbol of judicial power - the fasces (above) - a bundle of sticks tied together. The symbolism conveyed was that, whereas one stick can be easily broken, a bunch of sticks tied together are much harder to break. The UK didn't surrender its powers to Brussels - it carried them to Brussels and used them there for half a century for the good of all Europe. Now this era of contribution has come needlessly to an end.
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